Best Property Management Software for STR not using AirBNB?
Hi Everyone-
I have been managing Long term rentals for years in Austin, TX. I am now investigating renting luxury condos in Puerto Rico. The Owners do not want to use AirBnb, so I am trying to figure out which property management software and web design to use for direct booking/booking on VRBO for these 4 properties. Any advice would be most helpful!
I have been looking at Hostaway, Guesty, Escapia...etc. What works best and is easiest to use?
Thank you!
I have heard good things about Hostaway from others
#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
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#3 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
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I would rethink the airbnb thing though. No reason to alienate a 10 billion dollar short term rental website in my opinion.
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#1 Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions Contributor
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Vrbo app and Excel.
VRBO integrates well with Ownerrez. I have the ability to take off platform payments and security deposits with ease.
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Hey @Evy Grace. It's funny you say that they don't want to do AirBNB. Almost all the posts about new STRs focus on AirBNB and ignore VRBO until we tell them why ignore an excellent platform.
I would sit them down and tell them they are giving away money by not using AirBNB. Some markets are more VRBO, like mine and @John Underwoods and others are AirBNB.
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We have had a good experience with Streamline, but it is typically used by medium to larger PM's
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@Andrew Steffens
Guesty has been my favorite among Track, Hostaway, and iGMS. Track was probably the worst experience you could imagine as a platform. Guesty and Hostaway are very similar, but Guesty has better user interface for property owners and more detailed analytics. However iGMS is great for smaller portfolios.
Best of luck!
I've also used Guesty and Hostaway and like Guesty more. It's just more robust and works well for managing multiple properties.
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Quote from @Jonathan Dempsey:
@Andrew Steffens
Guesty has been my favorite among Track, Hostaway, and iGMS. Track was probably the worst experience you could imagine as a platform. Guesty and Hostaway are very similar, but Guesty has better user interface for property owners and more detailed analytics. However iGMS is great for smaller portfolios.
Best of luck!
Thanks Jonathan! We used Guesty before (over 3 years ago) and we agree they had a great UI. We did have a lot of accounting issues with them and lack of support, but again 3 years ago and I have heard they fixed a lot of those issues.
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- http://www.BookVROF.com
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Has anyone tried Ruebarue for digital welcome books or is this something you can create within your PMS software?
Hostway works very well for our team... There are so many different management software providers out there now you would probably be better off testing as many as you can to see what you like best lol
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Quote from @Evy Grace:
Thanks everyone! This is great info! And I agree about being able to list on AirBNB, but the owners of these condos want them to be exclusive and would rather have them rented for a very high price and have less traffic overall.
Has anyone tried Ruebarue for digital welcome books or is this something you can create within your PMS software?
Well, you could just do direct bookings. No VRBO or AirBNB. That would make it very exclusive. A lot of work to drive views to the site and it will probably not generate much but that would meet their requirements.
Just a note to you personally @Evy Grace. I think you might be setting yourself up. By following their guidelines, they will not see the return they think they will be getting. They will blame you. So make sure you layout everything YOU think they should do, regardless of their opinions. Tell them you want them to succeed and make money on their investment and that this is the best way to do it. Then you can go back and point out what your plan was. It isn't much of a CYA, but hopefully they will see the error of their ways.
Good luck!
@Michael Baum Thank you for your advice! I will be sure and let them know we need to be on all of the booking sites!
Hi Evy,
I would recommend looking into Lodgify. My husband and I have been using them for years, and they tick all of our boxes. We're not super tech-savvy, but we've been able to create a direct booking site, link with all OTAs, and manage our business from anywhere with their app.
Since switching to Lodgify, we've seen a 70% increase in direct bookings. The GVR integration is fantastic, and the free and thorough onboarding made the transition smooth. Support is always there when needed.
Good luck!
@Evy Grace - we really like Hostifuly. I'm a big fan.
I use Hospitable